


Domestic SSS

by HeyPassTheAngst



Category: Pocket Monsters: HeartGold & SoulSilver | Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver Versions
Genre: Angst, Domestic Fluff, Drama, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Fankids - Freeform, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Mental Health Issues, OCs - Freeform, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:07:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22785343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeyPassTheAngst/pseuds/HeyPassTheAngst
Summary: SoulSilverShipping domestic life vignettes.Pls DM me a better name for this collection lmao
Relationships: Kotone | Lyra/Silver
Comments: 3
Kudos: 27





	Domestic SSS

**Author's Note:**

> I've been thinking about fankids for these two for actual years and this is the incarnation that made it out of the thunderdome lol enjoy my trash

“Mr. Soul?”

Silver stepped over the threshold into the campus directory building, anxiety painted conspicuously on his face. The wispy woman who addressed him stood in the doorway of her office, a hand holding the door open to usher him inside. 

He hadn’t been told much over the phone, but the words “Cobalt”, and “Fight” had been present in the conversation enough to drive him wild with worry. Visions of his battered and bloody boy taunted him on the drive over. Fucking useless school district and their bullshit policies, they couldn’t even keep eight year olds from tearing each other apart!

He strode into the office and winced at the sight of a kid with a bruised and swollen face. A moment later he realized it wasn’t Cobalt, and then another after that the realization hit him that he had seen that spoinkish face before, eating cookies out of his pantry with shit-eating grin. Cobalt’s obnoxious friend. 

A surly woman, his mother it seemed like, wrapped an arm around him, glaring daggers at the figure sitting in the chair across from her, and then at him when she noticed him enter the room. Silver returned it with a trademark scowl of his own. 

“Thank you, Mr. Soul”, the principal walked in behind him, closing the door, “for responding so timely.” She took a seat at her desk, watching him. “We take incidents like this very seriously.”

“I’d like to actually know what this ‘incident’ was.” Silver said brusquely.

The principal folded her hands in front of her. “Please, have a seat.”

He did as instructed and turned to look at his son in the neighboring chair. 

Cobalt glowered at the floor, his knees folded to his chest. His clothes were ruffled and his cheek looked a bit puffy, but otherwise he seemed unharmed. His father almost sighed, relieved, before it dawned on him what that actually meant. 

“As I understand it,” began the principal, “Cobalt and Bradley were out in the yard for lunch break when Cobalt instigated a fight.” 

Cobalt rocked slightly in his chair, refusing to make eye-contact with anyone in the room. 

“I see.” said Silver. 

“He freely admitted to starting the fight” she said, “but when we asked him why, all he did was call Bradley an… inappropriate name.”

“Asshole.” Cobalt hissed under his breath.

“Hey! Watch your mouth.” Silver snapped. 

“We thought these two were close friends,” the principal continued, oddly unperturbed by their outburst, “so we find it unusual that Cobalt would just lash out senselessly.” 

“Didn’t you invite that Bradley kid to your birthday party a week ago?” Silver asked, already knowing the answer. (He couldn’t have forgotten the kid who had eaten more than his fair share of cake and threw it up in their front yard. Fun times). “What did you beat the tar out of your friend for?”

Cobalt buried his face in his legs. 

“Cobalt, I’m talking to you.” 

The principal cleared her throat, breaking the silence after a while. “Unfortunately we’re going to have to suspend Cobalt for a week.”

“Suspend?” Bradley’s mother piped up suddenly, her grip tightening around her son’s shoulders (the kid winced in pain, which she did not seem to notice), “I want that boy expelled! Look what he did to Brad! What if he needs stitches? What if there are scars?” 

Silver couldn’t cover up his scoff. He doubted a third grader was capable of inflicting that kind of damage. Least of all Cobalt, who was a bit of a late bloomer. 

“Is this funny to you?” she practically snarled at Silver. 

“You’re blowing this out of proportion.” He crossed his arms defiantly. “Kids fight. It happens. Who cares who started it?” 

“ _No_ , Mr. Soul. _Your_ kid fights.” She spat. “Which is not surprising.” 

Silver bristled, his veins suddenly icy. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” 

“Please”, said the principal, fretful, “let’s all be civil. I’m not going to expel anybody, that would be too nuclear.” 

“This is favoritism!” Bradley’s mother raged. “If he wasn’t the Champion’s kid they’d be getting more than a slap on the wrist!” 

“I’m sorry you feel a mark on his permanent record is a ‘slap on the wrist.” Said the principal, exasperated. She straightened up, addressing Silver. “Our policy is clear, but my primary concern now is finding out why this happened. I expect Cobalt to come back from his suspension with an explanation and a written apology.” 

“No problem. Are we finished here?” 

Silver ignored the mother’s rabid threats (‘You’ll be hearing from my attorney!’ loses its edge the seventh or eighth time you hear it) as he walked Cobalt, sniffling, back to the car. 

The drive back to their house in Blackthorn was painfully awkward. Silver stole glances at his son occasionally, but his eyes were hidden behind a curtain of lilac locks. 

They were almost home when Cobalt finally said something in a small, timid voice.

“Are you mad at me?”

Silver didn’t quite know if he was or wasn’t. Cobalt had his fair share of issues, but he’d never been violent before. “I’m confused.” 

“I can’t tell you.”

Silver blinked, bemused. “Why not?”

“Just can’t…”

“Was it over something stupid?” He wondered if that was why Brad hadn’t said anything. Maybe neither of them wanted to admit they were fighting over fruit snacks or the swingset or girls (was he even old enough to fight over girls? Too old to fight over swings? Silver wasn’t sure, he’d been occupied with… other things at that age). 

“No!” 

“But you can’t tell me?”

They pulled into the driveway, and Cobalt bolted out of the car before Silver could react.

“Cobalt!” Silver called from the driver’s seat. “Talk to me!”

The boy threw open the door and ran into the house, ignoring the chipper “Hey bud, how was school?” that was thrown his way. Silver came inside just as he was at the top of the stairs, slamming his door. 

“Geez, what was all that about?” 

Ethan sat cross-legged on the carpet of the living room, shrinking. Carmine and Garnet looked up from their scribblings, looking equal parts worried and curious. 

“Nothing.” Silver said tepidly. “Cobalt had a bad day.” 

Ethan raised an eyebrow. 

“Seriously. Don’t worry about it.” He looked around the room, noting that the twins’ legos were out of the playroom again, and deflected. “How were they?” 

“Oh, the girls were great.” Ethan said. “They only bit my ankles three times.” 

Carmine giggled while Garnet protested irritably. “We were good, daddy! Uncle Ethan’s lying!”

“‘Course he is.” Silver rattled. He set his keys down and reached into his wallet. “Thanks for watching them on short notice-”

“Woah, put that away. It’s fine.”

“No, I don’t think it is.” Silver handed him a couple of twenties. “We appreciate it.”

“It’s not that big a deal.” Ethan said, shrugging, (he did take the money, though). 

After Ethan left, Silver felt a tug at his pant leg. Carmine looked up at him with familiar grey, misty eyes. “Daddy?”

Silver ruffled her hair affectionately. He gave her a small smile, though his gaze betrayed concern. “Yeah?” 

“Is Cobalt okay?” 

Silver wasn’t sure. “Yeah, he’s just sad right now.” 

Garnet set her crayon down on the floor and ran over, looking determined. “I can go cheer him up, daddy!”

“Oh uh…” Silver caught her arm gently as she tried to pass him up the stairs. “I think we should give him some time alone right now, sweetheart.” 

Garnet, who was usually pouty on a good day, was somehow blessedly receptive. 

“Go wash up.” he said, “I’ll order takeout.” 

The sage quiet that had fallen over the girls quickly erupted into the squeals of glee he had become acclimated to. 

Half an hour later, dinner was not running so smoothly. Garnet’s typical hemming and hawing about the vegetables in her stir-fry touching everything else were particularly unwelcome when accompanied by Carmine’s unwillingness to eat unless she was sitting next to her brother. They both tantrumed for fifteen painful minutes before relenting. 

Cobalt never came down to dinner. Silver scrambled to save a portion of noodles for him before his daughters horked them all down. 

Eventually, mercifully, Silver heard the key enter the lock on the doorknob, just as the girls were about to have another meltdown over not being able to play with Baku (Feraligatrs don’t know how to play gently! How many times did he have to tell them?).

Lyra sauntered into the house, just in time to get swarmed by their two youngest. Her bubbly, airy laughter intermingling with the chorus of “Mommy!” rang across the room and into the kitchen where he washed dishes, and for a second, Silver thought, everything was fine. 

But nothing lasts. 

After their usual song and dance of getting the four-year olds in bed, he found her arms wrapped delicately around his midriff, and her humming against his back brought him back to reality. “Hey.”

“Hey.” he parroted. 

She followed him into the kitchen and started to unload the dishwasher. “I got your text. What happened with Cobalt’s school?”

Silver wasn’t usually the type to mince words, and tonight would not be an exception. “He’s suspended.”

“Suspended?!” Lyra exclaimed, voice nearly cracking. Silver hushed her; the window was open. “Suspended for what?” 

“He beat up that Brad kid. Did a number on him…”

“Which kid now?” She looked at him quizzically, before recognition suddenly flashed on her face. “Oh wait, that kid who ate all the cake last week at Cobalt’s party and then hurled?” 

“Yeah, that’s the fucker.”

“Cobalt beat Brad up over that?” 

“No.” Silver’s face scrunched up. “I don’t think so. I don’t know, he won’t tell me what it was about.”

“He won’t tell _you_?”

“He didn’t say anything in the principal’s office or on the ride home, and we all grilled him pretty hard.” Silver ran his fingers along his scalp anxiously. “That kid’s mom was pissed.” 

Lyra frowned. “Have you talked to him since you got home?” 

Silver glanced up the staircase. He saw a light on through the crack in Cobalt’s door. “I wanted to give him space.”

“He never came down to eat, huh?” 

“No.” He shifted his weight, wringing his hands together. “I thought he was just embarrassed or something. I thought he’d eventually come talk to me...”

Cobalt wasn’t a talkative kid, but he had always opened up to his dad. There was a kinship they shared, forged in sadness, and the blood of the covenant (children were not so poetic, but Silver liked to think they could share the sentiment). 

And it really, _really_ fucking hurt to be in the dark. 

He was aware that Lyra was watching his expression twist into something deeply pained, and though he knew that was okay, some small, stupid part of him screamed at him to pull it together. She was quiet for a long time. 

“Come on”, Lyra finally said, “I have an idea.”

\--

Silver hung back in the hallway as Lyra tiptoed up to Cobalt’s bedroom. 

She rapped softly on the door and called out to him. When she got no response, she slowly inched the door open, sticking her face inside.

“Cobalt, let’s talk. You and me.” 

Silver didn’t hear his son respond, but he must have nodded, because Lyra walked into his room calmly some moments later. 

He realized after a while that he was too far away from the door to make out their hushed words, so he tip-toed closer. She had left the door ajar just a hair. 

“We’re not mad. We’re just worried.” Lyra’s high voice cut through the walls, dripping with saccharine sweetness, “We just want to know what happened…”

A pregnant pause, and then a hoarse little voice. “You can’t tell dad.”

A chill went up Silver’s spine.

“Why can’t dad know?” Lyra asked, perplexed. 

Another pause. 

“Cobalt?”

It seemed like an eternity passed before he heard anything else. And then sniffling, and Lyra cooing, reassuring, and Silver wanted desperately to run in and hold them both. 

“Brad said shitty things about dad.” 

Silver and Lyra generally had a “no bad words in front of or from the kids” policy in place (admittedly it was hard for Silver to follow sometimes…), but she sounded like she was going to let it slide. “What kinds of things?”

Her tone was uncharacteristically woeful. She already had an idea of what the answer was. They both did.

"He said I was lucky we weren’t related,” Cobalt said through hiccups, “because otherwise I’d have the ‘evil gene’.”

More sniffling. More silence.

“Then he said my sisters probably have it. I told him to take it back, and he didn’t. So I punched him…”

Silver stared at the floor, on the edge of disassociation. 

The voices of his son and wife faded away and soon there was nothing. 

\--

He didn’t remember walking outside to have a cigarette, but that’s when he came too, suddenly, puffing frantically in the cool night air. 

His hands were still shaking after he finished it. He dropped it on the ground to extinguish it. There was a butt down there already; a cigarette he didn’t remember having, either.

A soft hand on his shoulder broke him out of his reverie. 

“Hey.” Lyra’s voice was grounded, and he clung to every word. “He needs you.”

Silver followed her inside.

**Author's Note:**

> So this formerly standalone fic is now gonna be a dumping ground for my soulsilver family oneshots. These are going to be mostly tame, albeit with heavy themes, especially when chapters are from Silver's POV (boy got baggage ya kno). 
> 
> You can leave suggestions if you want for topics for upcoming chapters! I might get to them,, maybe.....
> 
> And thankyou thankyou for all the kudos and the comments they give me Big Feelings


End file.
